Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Although I have not yet received a response to my comment regarding my impressions of artwork by Dana Schutz, I have continued to give her paintings considerable thought. Indeed, despite my initial assessment of her of her style and compositons, I have found them to be rich in color,values, and overall ingenuity.The turning point for me was a comment she had made in one of her interviews. She stated that she was initially afraid to use saturated color in her work. Instead, she felt more comfortable incorporating more subdued hues. I, too, have felt the same way about my paintings. Moreover, I have begun to integrate this new color scheme into my recent work and have found the results to be very visually pleasing to both myself and to my biggest critic, my wife Orna. Furthermore, my interest in Dana Schutz goes beyond her artwork. She graduated from my Alma Mater, Columbia College in 2002. I graduated from Columbia College in 1978 and subsequently in 1982 from The Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Monday, September 24, 2007

My previous Blog entry tried to describe God in terms of Spinoza. Moreover, a reference was made to Albert Einstein since he himself believed in Spinoza's God. With this model, The Big Bang, could be conceived as a denovo event which created everything , the galaxies,nature, and all things made up of mass and energy. This notion fits very nicely into Einsteins conception of a harmonious, unified, measurable, and predictable universe. A universe, unfortunately, that could not explain the unpredictability of the subatomic universe governed by chance. A universe described by Quantum Mechanics. This was Einsteins limitation. He could not and would not accept a universe that could only be measured in terms of probability. How then could he possibly understand or attempt to understand the Kabalistic notion of God as a dual entity? A God that could not be described in terms of quantifiable and predictable entities such as mass and energy, but could only be defined as a separate intangible force responsible for all creation. A force that was revealed to as a quantifiable byproduct of THE BIG BANG.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Yesterday was YomKippur. The Holiest day in the Jewish calendar. It is the day of reckoning where we , Jews, fast and pray that God pardons us for our sins. In essence, it is an attempt at absolution for the past year's transgressions. As I sat in synagogue, I couldn't help , but ponder the ritual of prayer, its objective, and the Jewish text that guided us through this arduous process. Who are we praying to? Is it God himself, the Jewish God of Jacob and Isaac, or some other entity, force, or energy that we can collectively call God? The answer, if it truly exists, is clearly not simple. Indeed, in 1929, Rabbi Gladstone from New York City, had sent Einstein a message asking him bluntly, “Do you believe in God?” Einstein replied as follows:“I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings." Spinoza's conception of God is that God and Nature are one in the same. Nature is the Universe with all known Galaxies and all known life (Earth) and all potential life as well. The Unity of the Universe, from its day of spontaneous inception, The Big Bang, is God with all its physical and metaphysical occurrences. Humans are part of this universal unity and therefore a direct manifestation of God. Everything we experience with our senses is part of this schema as well. The universe is also composed of the same two interchangeable entities Mass and Energy. Hence, E= MC squared. We exist, flourish, , and then die. All part of the natural plan called God. Every aspect of our being , every action, as well as every molecular change that takes place effects everything around us. Our prayer therefore, will have a direct impact on the collective conscious of the universe. Strange as it may seem, this notion of God gives us more control over the world we live in. Even though everyone and every living thing is the product of of genetics and environment, our choices and actions will in some way effect all that is around us. Morality , therefore, becomes an important part of human existence because it will determine how we live together. No longer do we rely on a separate external entity to govern our lives, but we come to the realisation that we are responsible for both the good and bad around us. God clearly exists. Just look around at the world we live in. Contemplate the harmony. It will all make sense.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Territorialism in all its forms is a constant in nature. In the animal kingdom, for example, protection of rights to domicile, food, and family is readily apparent. Anyone who has adopted one or more pets is fully aware of the the importance of territory and hierarchy. The world of humans is no different. Religion, religious persecution, politics, and war, are all by products of this inherent trait to hoard, covet, and protect all that we believe to be sacred. Moreover, our beliefs are just as important, or more so than our valuable material possessions. This is the notion of psychological territorialism. Invasion into this personal realm can be extremely hazardous. Indeed, the biggest culprits of this violation are the self righteous.These people like to dictate the proper way to do just about anything, from religion to hairstyling. They are the holier than thou. They're always right and you're always wrong. Everything becomes twisted to fulfill their self- serving needs and to assert control. The last thing we humans need is another self appointed supervisor to judge us and make more annoying, unsolicited suggestions about what we should and should not do.

Striking similarity, or mere coincidence? Check out Judith Linhares work on: http://www.judithlinhares.com and note the lush colors, bold flattened brushstrokes, and somewhat twisted subject matter. Original or derivative? Being in the right place at the right time? You decide! All comments will be sincerely appreciated.Thanks. Jamie

Thanks for your comment regarding Dana Schutz dated September 15, 2007, by Anonymous. I must say that her painting style and use of color is unique and worth further examination.. The subject matter she paints is also unique and personal. Its hard to integrate the values of my art world with hers, but references to Rembrandt, and Ive seen many other artists compared to the masters, is a bit of a stretch. I do however, believe in giving credit where credit is due. I think the world needs more of this.Indeed, I have been recently influenced by her bold and saturated colors. My new paintings will begin to reflect this and I will begin to post them on my site.PS. I like to present these arguments as food for thought. A sort of devils advocate if you will.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

I recently made the following entry on the Blog, EYE LEVEL:Dana Schutz is somewhat of an enigma to me. The reason I'm even looking at her work and discussing it in any way, is that I was amazed at her rapid rise to stardom. Despite her prolific brush strokes and color, I can't help to think of the bevy of other artists whose artistic prowess is undeniable yet they have achieved no semblance of the same success that Dana has. Indeed, what's more disturbing is that someone chose to compare her in any way, shape, or form, to Rembrandt. Who are we trying to kid?If she submitted some of her work to local juried shows, either she would not get accepted or the work would be indistinguishable or not as astonishing as other less known artists. She appears to be a byproduct of being in the right place at the right time and good old fashion marketing.I subsequently read an article in Art News about this artist. Although I still maintain that her rapid rise to stardom was strongly influenced by being in the right place at the right time, I did try to find something worthwhile in her work. I began to examine her choice of colors and her more recent use of intense saturation. I soon realized that she too faced a dilemma similar to my own. The fear of incorporating intense color in a painting. Indeed, with this revelation I felt a sense of relief and began to increase both the saturation and Key of my paintings My next Blog entry will showcase my new work incorporating this new direction in color choice.

I recently began to experiment with more saturated colors. Previously, my work consisted of bright colors, but without the full effects of saturation. By this I mean that I used white and intense blending in all my images. The effects are ethereal, but lack the type of commitment I wish to portray. Moreover, I would like to experiment with the effects of bright colors in contrast to a dark background. Besides the popping effect of the images, it will create a somewhat mystical, fantastic environment. The next painting will incorporate these elements. I hope it is successful.

Monday, September 3, 2007

I miss my dog!. His name is Sherman. A loyal, intelligent, loving companion. Despite his chronic often worsening illnesses, he faced each day on his own terms, with dignity and passion. Our relationship exemplified the term unconditional love. Everyday I look at several of the paintings which contain his image. Within a very short period of time, a tear begins to roll down my cheek. Although it represents sadness, it is often bittersweet because it allows me to bond with his eternal soul. I love you chump.

Have you ever asked youself, what is my personal vision? The answer would seem to be obvious. Just do what you want to do. Of course this is the only correct answer. The process of achieving this, however, is not so obvious. Moreover, the path one may take, is also not always clear. A visionary Professor at Columbia P&S once said, "never forget your objective. This statement is the only definitive route to achieving ones true vision. We must first visualize our endpoint and try to imagine ourselves living in that moment. After that is accomplished, we must try to determine the correct path and try not to deviate from it. By knowing ones objective, therefore, we must continously use it a way of testing whether we are moving closer or further away from self actualization.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

See one, do one, teach one. I first heard this famous phrase in medical school. Later in my Dermatology Residency at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami, it became a way of life. Indeed, the premise for the phrase is simple. You must witness a procedure once, before you can do it yourself and subsequently teach the same procedure to someone else. This same principle applies to just about any hands on type of task. The degree of proficiency, however, ultimately depends on how many times you perform this task thereafter. In Art for example, the more you practice a similar technique, the better it gets. Thus, the concept of the learning curve, simply put, is the process of improving ones skills by repetition. As a self- taught artist, the learning curve is indeed steep. In addition to mastering the individual media, learning how to draw, understanding values, color theory, and composition, one must then develop his own self expression. This means, producing a body of work that consistently demonstrates ones mastery of the medium, subject matter, and philosophy of painting.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Everyday I walk approximately 4 miles. Despite the obvious health benefits, there is the psychological impact of the Endorphin rush. This occurs within the first one half hour. I become immersed in introspective thought and seem to lose track of time and space. During this "zone", I think of both the mundane, and spiritual. Indeed, this thought process often allows me to decipher both the personal as well as ponder the metaphysical. Today for example, I thought of the importance of documenting not only my art, but my thoughts and feelings as well. I have always wanted to do this, but never actually sat down long enough to get the job done. The advent of this Blog, therefore, allows me to chronicle my ideas in a more well defined and organized format. It is essentially a diary. I feel blessed to have the opportunity and motivation to begin this process of documentation. Moreover, I have been equally blessed with my education to date. My intensive Liberal Arts experience at Columbia College, for example, has been instrumental in this endeavour. In addition to the obvious benefits of rigrous writing assignments, there is the intangible, yet equally important exposure to the great creative minds in Literature, Art, and Music. Furthermore, my subsequent medical training at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, helped stimulate my left cerebral hemisphere as well. Thus, I am now able to view the world from both an abstract and analytical perspective. This duality can often be observed in my paintings . Although my abstract paintings are usually defined by recurring geometric patterns, I use vivid colors and avoid realistic imagery and perspective . My so called analytical paintings, on the other hand, blend both the real, with the sublime. I am able to accomplish this by using Cubist derived compositional elements in addition to sociopolitical and religous symbolism. Indeed, this dichotomy, truly exemplifies the workings of my so called eccentric mind

Monday, August 27, 2007

An artist must reach some kind of understanding about his own objectives as an artist. Despite involvement in many juried shows, awards, and possibly countless praises about one's work, selling this artwork is another matter. Thus, the same people who praise your work are usually those that make no effort to buy it. Hence, other than falling into the trap of artistic self-pity, the artist must appreciate the only constant that remains, that is, the nourishment he attains by the process of creating art.

Friday, August 24, 2007

I have continued to paint my analytical painting which features Zoe, my Boxer. It has been slow to develop since the studio is particulary hot and humid during this time of the year in South Florida. In any event, I believe that the final product will be worth my efforts. Yesterday I mentioned the concept of anchor in my painting. An anchor is the predominant image within the composition that immediately draws your attention. It is the headline if you will. I find that one of the crucial elements, which is often lacking, in completely abstract paintings, is the anchoring element. Indeed, one of the reasons that I have added realist imagery into the abstract framework of my paintings, is to create an immediate interest above and beyond the purely decorative. Jamie R Morhaim http://www.morhaimart.com

I started my next painting today. I just got up and started drawing. The painting will be of the analytical variety as opposed vto the geometric architectural type. Im in a more introspective mood. I also get to draw and play with the mixed media more freely, especially, collage. The subject matter will include an anchor painting, as usual. The anchor image is Zoe. She needs to be represented. Sherman always got top billing in paintings. One reason is that hes so much easier to draw. Zoe is more convoluted and these convolutions are more confined to a smaller area. Moreover, the facial expression of a Boxer has been likened to a human and therefore keeps some of the same proportions as the human face. Hence, slight variations in the individual facial features might throw off the likeness.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

I have painters block. I guess its the same as writers block and probably has a similar psychological origin. In any event, what do I do to get out of this rut? All suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance for your help, Jamie R Morhaim, http://www.morhaimart.com/

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

This painting was created to memorialize the recent passing of my beloved best friend and loyal companion, Sherman, a Bullmastiff. The imagery depicts Heaven anxiously awaiting with open arms. He will truly be missed. Sherman, Rest In peace . http://www.morhaimart.com/